It's so rewarding to see messaging work in use by clients, out in the world, doing its thing. Last year Adam Burk + Co and Craft created a core suite of content through deep thought partnership and reflection with the team at Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative and support from the Quimby Family Foundation. It is being used on their website and beyond to help share the full intent and scope of their work. Their mission? "To work collectively in Maine to create mutually beneficial relationships with the earth, communities, and people through the conservation movement." Learn more:
The Southern Maine Conservation Collaborative was founded in 2012 as a service center to assist conservation organizations in southern Maine with hands on assistance specific to organizational needs. Because our theory of change is rooted in the idea that solutions forged together and in partnership...
09/15/2022
It's opening night tonight at the 18th Camden International Film Festival. The shorts lineups are always some of my favorites. Check out all the ways to participate in the experience at https://camdeniff.eventive.org - in person, passes, ticket packs, and (for me this year) virtual!
09/07/2022
It was a rainy post-Labor Day start to the week in Maine yesterday, but the entrepreneurial energy was contagious at the Roux Institute at Northeastern University. Such a blast to lead a workshop on Meaningful Marketing for their Founders' Residency, a cohort of founders from backgrounds historically under represented in the tech and startup communities.
We talked a lot about weaving the core purpose at the heart of their work into the fabric of all of their communications - from external customer facing materials to building culture and of course in, you guessed it, investor pitches.
I can't wait to hear their rocket pitches as a part of this upcoming Venture Showcase!
Mark your calendar and join us for the first Roux Institute Venture Showcase! On September 30, you'll hear final pitches from the nine startups graduating from our 2022 Founder Residency, keynote speeches by Torey Penrod-Cambra and Shamit Grover, and updates on our portfolio of companies, who've collectively raised $18 million in funding over the past two years. Sign up today: https://bit.ly/3wCoUMn
09/02/2022
Great to see the Portland Sea Dogs shining some light on woman owned businesses and the Maine Women's Business List from the CEI Women's Business Center growing and getting in front of new audiences. If you're a female owned business in Maine or passionate about supporting women in business, check it out!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Maine Women Owned Business Night at the Portland Sea Dogs!
Congrats to Christy Hemenway, owner of Run Amok Mead, who won our raffle to throw the first pitch! ⚾️
08/25/2022
As the frenzy of late summer nips at our heels, wishing you some moments of spacious ease however they come to you. Maybe a long bike ride, a weekend hike, an afternoon ice cream, a jump into the ocean, a nap in a hammock, a picnic with friends, daydreaming by the sea...
07/21/2022
It's been a joy to be working with the Maine Federation of Farmers' Markets along with Adam Burk + Co this summer with support from the Quimby Family Foundation. There's so much great local food at the markets this time of year and other vendors too. Get on out there!
In case you're wondering what in-season items will be popping up in the markets this month, here's some of July's in-season produce!
07/07/2022
Love the personal touch CEI Women's Business Center! If you're a female owned business in Maine, or looking to support and help promote female entrepreneurship in Maine, check out Maine's first public directory of woman owned businesses: https://www.mainewomensbusinesslist.com/
This winter longtime collaborator, fellow entrepreneur, visual storytelling maven and dear friend India Brand and I officially joined forces and co-founded the boutique agency Craft Haus. It's been a source of sanity and inspiration during these weary times and we've been able to work on some fun projects together this winter and spring. Here's a little glimpse into what we've been up to:
Check out meetcrafthaus.com for more and to join our sporadic but (we hope) meaningful and fun newsletter!
Riding the waves through difficult times
06/16/2022
Powerful workshop coming up from Allison Poole at Koru Physical Therapy and Wellness next week for all you fellow women in your 40s and 50s wondering what the heck is going on in your bodies!!
Midlife is not about the fear of death. Midlife is death. Tearing down the walls that we spent our entire life building is death. Like it or not, at some point during midlife, you’re going down, and after that there are only two choices: staying down or enduring rebirth.
It’s a painful irony that the very things that may have kept us safe growing up ultimately get in the way of our becoming the parents, partners, and/or people we want to be.
-Brene Brown
05/24/2022
Spring is here and so is ! Join the movement to provide much needed nourishment for bees, butterflies and other pollinators in the early spring.
At our home, we settled for a "mullett" approach - mowed in the front, meadow party in the back. It's been amazing to see all the beautiful wildflowers popping up alongside the wild strawberries and dandelions galore.
We are proud members of the Maine Women's Business List! Created by the team at the CEI Women's Business Center, it's Maine’s first public directory of female entrepreneurs across our wide and varied state. Whether you’re a business owner yourself or looking to support women in business, the directory is free to join, easy to search, and growing every day. Check out our listing: https://www.mainewomensbusinesslist.com/listing/craft/, sign up, and help spread the word!
"Restricting women’s access to safe and legal abortion services has important negative health implications. We’ve seen that these laws do not result in fewer abortions. Instead, they compel women to risk their lives and health by seeking out unsafe abortion care."
-Ana Langer, professor of the practice of public health and coordinator of the Women and Health Initiative at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
"We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," Justice Alito writes in an initial majority draft circulated inside the court.
As we cross the 2-year mark of lives forever changed by Covid-19, one of the trends I have been noticing with clients and in my own business is how habitually we have come to look to digital modes of communication as the primary way to promote our work and how increasingly frustrating that approach is feeling. This blog shares some fundamentals of building a multi-faceted communications strategy.
If you're looking for support in mapping out a well-rounded communications plan, I'm available for 1:1 coaching, and am offering a 3-hr Planning Intensive to refresh your goals, review what you're doing currently, and map out an updated plan together ($1,450). Email me [email protected] to learn more or plan a time to get started.
Are you feeling stuck in your marketing and communication efforts? Investing hours and hours (and hours) into the perfect sales page, website, social media content, or even newsletter, but feel like it is just disappearing into a void? It can be so discouraging to put this effort in and not have it....
Refreshed site from Beacon Community Fitness is live! Design and development by Sam Giberson of Territory Sixteen, content developed in deep collaboration with Kristen Moustrouphis and the whole BCF team. What started as a gym has turned into a movement with many different service offerings and knowing the entrepreneurial energy of Kristen, surely many more to come!
We worked together to create content that grounded visitors in the BCF ecosystem, showcased the driving purpose behind each offering, and got them to where they needed to go quickly. Happy to share the finished product!
is more than a gym. Imagine achieving your fitness goals with an entire community supporting you. Our facility in offers an elite training experience for all. Talk with one of our certified coaches today to get started. Fitness, Nutrition, & Coaching personalized to YOUR needs.
04/07/2022
Great stuff happening at Portland Public Schools Food Services! Happy to be a small part of supporting their work re-imagining school meals and the role they play for students and the community.
Listened to a podcast recently with Brené Brown describing her B-R-A-V-I-N-G framework for how trust is built and cultivated. This feels so essential to creating meaningful relationships of all kinds, but especially in working relationships where much of this is not often the cultural norm. Boundaries, Non-judgement and Generosity really feel powerful to me. Which element speaks to you the most?
In the strange times we are in, my group coaching work has surprised the introvert in me and become such a source of connection and fulfillment. I have a round of my Communicating with Power group coming up mid April with two open spots. If you're looking for clarity in your marketing and outreach work and a safe space to land, I'd love to have you join us.
"Through her small group programs, Leah has created a unique learning space through which I received the expert guidance and collegial support I needed to jumpstart and propel our agency's communications strategy. I highly recommend participating in Leah's small group programs; your agency or business will benefit, as will you as a leader." -Patricia, Executive Director of a Maine-based nonprofit
Details below - DM or email [email protected] by April 6th to save your spot or learn more.
A Craft Mastermind: Driving ImpactCommunicating with PowerWhen you are COMMUNICATING WITH POWER you are boldly, unabashedly yourself. You feel grounded in your voice and the uniqueness you offer to the world. You are communicating the deep why behind your work rather than the surface level what, a...
03/17/2022
Looking for a dedicated place to work or grow your business? Beautiful offices available for rent in downtown Brunswick from the lovely New Approaches!
03/09/2022
New film series from Points North Institute now streaming on Eventive: documentary films by Ukrainian directors that highlight the incredible artistry of a nation. 100% of the proceeds from this initiative will go to a special fund at Ukraine-based Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Festival. Details below.
We are honored to announce the Film Series now streaming on Eventive: documentary films by Ukrainian directors that highlight the incredible artistry of a nation. 100% of the proceeds from this initiative will go to a special fund at Ukraine-based Docudays UA International Human Rights Documentary Festival Міжнародний фестиваль документального кіно про права людини Docudays UA. Donate to watch and support today at https://bit.ly/CIFF_Ukraine. Special thanks to our distribution partners for helping us pull this together: Filmotor Square Eyes The Cinema Guild Feelmakers Film Movement
Image Still: Maidan directed by Sergey Loznitsa (now streaming)
03/01/2022
Looking to dial in your core purpose and make your outreach and communication work more meaningful? 2 slots are left in my upcoming Mastermind: Communicating with Power.
We'll gather on zoom once/ month for 6 months, polishing up the building blocks of your communications strategy and supporting each other to boldly share our unique super powers with the world.
Last year we worked with Socha Financial Group, LLC through our Mastermind and 1:1 support to develop language to communicate the unique value they create. It's such a joy to see the work coming to life and share their new website, https://sochafinancial.com.
Designed and built by Creagent Marketing, with design insight from India Brand, and lots and lots of sweat, love, and creativity from Nina, Jolie, Kelsey, Mike and the whole team at Socha Financial Group, LLC.
Define what financial balance looks like to you Take the first step Live the tomorrow you want to create Take the first step Confidently lean into the adventure of the unknown Take the first step Welcome Since 1983, Socha Financial Group, LLC has offered financial planning and investment management....
Doc filmmakers and storytellers: Camden International Film Festival is accepting submissions for documentary features, and works-in-progress for its artist programs, and more: https://pointsnorthinstitute.org
NEWS & EVENTS THE LAUNCHING PAD FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF NONFICTION STORYTELLERS
01/19/2022
As a woman officially in my 40s, I've been learning so much from new client Modern Midlife Reset, a branch of Koru Physical Therapy and Wellness, PLLC. Their signature program, is a counter-cultural reset to help us understand what's actually happening in our bodies and how we can work with it, not against it.
There's a session starting soon with a few days left to sign up. Check it out!
01/17/2022
“We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. For some strange reason I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the way God’s universe is made; this is the way it is structured.” - Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
11/22/2021
Looking to grow your business and dial in your communications strategies? The next round of our group coaching program for women and non-binary entrepreneurs is running January - June 2022: Communicating with Power.
One virtual meeting/ month and all the goodness of group accountability and support. Email or dm for more info and to hold your spot.
With these dark fall mornings, need a little more of this in my life!
Thank you Nutrition Simplified for the gentle nudges to support our bodies and minds that do so much for us every day.
Food is our fuel. Calories are units of energy, but they are not all created equal.
Stoked to see client and zero-waste warrior Laura Marston of GoGo Refill honored with a Conservation Leadership Award from Natural Resources Council of Maine.
"Small business owner Laura Marston of South Portland will receive a Conservation Leadership Award for advocating for and pioneering new ways to reduce waste and encourage reuse through her business, throughout her community, and across Maine."
NRCM is pleased to present 2021 Conservation Leadership Awards to four Mainers for their lasting contributions to Maine's environment.
Tips for female founders from CEI Women's Business Center's Sarah Guerette and reflections of why women's leadership is so important right now:
"So many of the female founders we work with focus on a triple bottom line that includes social impact, environment benefit, and profitability. This tendency towards social entrepreneurship means that women are building business that nurture communities, families, employees, and our planet. We need more of this."
An Interview With Kristin Marquet
08/10/2021
My summer wish for you all (and reminder for myself) shared from a dear friend:
"Go forth on your path for it only exists through your walking." - St. Augustine
Beautiful essay from friend, collaborator and fellow Babson College alum Kristin Thalheimer Bingham of Dean'sSweets on the highs and lows of building a business with your life partner and learning a lot about each other in the process. A reminder to me of the richness that comes from our differences.
"While I work linearly, Dean works circularly, sometimes finding solutions to things by working on something else entirely. I like solutions; Dean likes problem solving."
Whenever I meet someone new and tell them I’m married to a chocolatier, the most common response is, “Oh my god, you are so lucky!” Then...
So happy to see new interactive trail features from Hills to Sea Trail Coalition launching in time for the summer + fall seasons. It has been a joy supporting their messaging and storytelling work in partnership with Quimby Family Foundation, Adam Burk + Co, India Menninghaus, and Adept Creative. A beautiful trail for all seasons!
WALDO COUNTY — The Hills to Sea Trail Coalition recently launched a new website (hillstosea.org) that features detailed maps to improve locating and navigating sections of the 47-mile Unity-to-Belfast Hills to Sea Trail. The maps can be printed out...
07/02/2021
Heading into the holiday weekend, sending an invitation to be gentle and easy on ourselves when we don't have it all figured out or get it "right" every time. We are all doing our best, and need time to replenish, whatever that means to you. Wishing you moments of pause, connection and unbridled joy this weekend. If you need me, this is where I'll be!
05/07/2021
The sun is shining here in southern Maine but wow does it feel like it has been one heck of a long year already. Grateful for these simple ways to take care of ourselves, thanks to Silver Speech for the find!
04/28/2021
Looking for support and accountability to up-level your communications game? A new cohort of the Craft Mastermind: Communicating With Power launches May 13th and meets monthly through November.
In the words of a past participant: "I recommend it to anyone who wants to feel more empowered, positive, and effective in their messaging."
2 slots left - join us! Email Leah at [email protected] for more info or to hold your spot.
04/27/2021
Great quick listen for a drive or walk - Brené Brown breaks down the basic of Armored vs Daring leadership. Grateful to work with partners and clients every day who are working to lead more and more in this way and inspire me to do the same.
04/07/2021
It took me a long time to learn that self-care is not all bubble baths and long walks by the ocean and curling up with a good book. With Allie Andrews, OmBody Health's help, I've come to see that true self-care is loving and caring about ourselves enough to get curious, to learn what works for us, without judgement or expectation. It helps us to create a life full of meaning and presence and creativity. It's a journey I'm quite honestly still walking (probably always will be) and could not be more grateful for the wisdom, gentleness and joy in Allie's teachings.
Her new course The Self-Care Lifestyle launches next week and I whole-heatedly recommend it. Doors close tomorrow - check it out! courses.ombodyhealth.com/p/enroll
This is my life's work...
I poured my blood, sweat and tears into crafting this program.
I created it and first launched in 2020, when my biz like so many took a turn, but I've been dreaming it up for YEARS (lifetimes perhaps...)
And here's why I built it...
After a decade working in the wellness industry as a yoga teacher and health coach for companies (and going through my own 15+ year personal growth journey as a recovering perfectionist and overachiever)...
I noticed that SO MANY PEOPLE were filling their lives with "have tos" and "shoulds" without space for the deeper needs and desires that bring them joy and confidence.
And many womxn I came across were deriving their worth from what they accomplished rather than who they were at their core...self-critical when they weren't feeling positive or being productive. (This used to be me.)
I met many well-intentioned serial overcomitters, who would double down on work and caring for others at the expense of their health and joy.
Here's the thing...We need to take care of ourselves in order to care for others and live our most joyful life.
But for any of it to last, we need to care for ourselves in a way that feels authentic and nourishing for us...
Which is why I built the Self-Care Lifestyle. It's an 8-week reset guided by me over group coaching circles, self-care circles and self-paced learning modules.
It's highly curated sans prescriptive influencer routines. Instead, I teach you how to be receptive to your natural rhythms and experience presence and joy with a personalized and sustainable self-care practice.
This last year has been a real challenge to our resilience.
Yet now is an incredibly impactful time to reprioritize your health and wellbeing and come back to yourself. To root yourself in your confidence.
Feeling called? Learn more & join our community here >>bit.ly/ombody
Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Craft posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
At Craft we believe in the power of business as a force for good. We help entrepreneurs and organizations that share this belief cut through the clutter and find focus.
Craft is a boutique communications practice run by Leah Hurley since 2009 with a focus on value-driven marketing and social impact. At the core of her approach is a belief in the power of being boldly who you are. She helps clients get clear on what matters to them and build tools and strategies to share that with the world. She offers an outside lens and takes a proactive approach to communications and marketing, helping clients get ahead of content opportunities and build processes and systems that integrate communications thinking into the fabric of their business.
Join Craft this fall for a group coaching program for mission-driven female entrepreneurs, where you will work together to take your outward-facing communications to the next level.
Now more than ever, the world needs female leaders who are boldly, unabashedly themselves. Find clarity and focus in your voice and strategy.
You will meet virtually for 2 hours each month, October - March.
Email for the details and to hold your spot: [email protected]
Little did we know when we started this project that we would need our outdoor spaces more than ever this year! A truly collaborative effort on the brand rebirth. Thank you L.L.Bean Alicia Pulsifer Heyburn Adam Burk + Co Craft
What are your core beliefs? These are ours. , Craft
Take your business to the next level! We have some amazing women facilitating workshops with us next week.
Join us for Boss Your Money: Managing Your Budget for Small Business Success with Lynne Somerman Financial Coaching; and Making Impactful Marketing Decisions with Leah Hurley at Craft.
Listen to the power of understanding your “why” with Leah Hurley from Craft
There is still time to register to join us for tomorrow's workshop with Craft! In this workshop, we'll dive into the "why" at the heart of your work, and create the foundation of a values-based messaging strategy.
Join us tomorrow for a new workshop with Craft and learn how to make the most of the time and money you spend on marketing!
There is still time to register for our brand new workshop tomorrow with Craft! Attendees will gain valuable tools to help ground your most important business and marketing decisions!
Tune in at 10am tomorrow on WCSH6 and WLBZ2 to see Stephany Lay with Maine-Tex Grilled Salsa and Amy Rowbottom with Crooked Face Creamery present their businesses in front of sponsor judge Yellow Light Breen with Maine Development Foundation and panelists Leah Hurley from Craft and Ebon Jose from Spinnaker Trust.
Taking a values-based approach to marketing helps potential customers understand why you do what you do, and how you hope to impact the world or community through that work. Please join us on 11/14 for a new workshop with Craft to learn the foundation of a values-based messaging strategy, and how this can be used as a tool to ground your marketing and business decisions!
Former CIFF producer and board member Leah Hurley (Craft) returned to the festival as an audience member and captured the magic perfectly for International Documentary Association: "We are here to learn more about ourselves and the worlds we have lived in and created. We're here to have the courage to tell the stories we're inspired to tell, to have faith in our voice, and to find ourselves in dark theaters before beautiful, soulful films."
Leah Hurley of Craft, reflects on her experience at Maine Live in this guest post on our blog.
"The vulnerability modeled for us in each presentation carried into conversations, connections, and laughter during the breaks and over lunch outside in the grass. Intentionally lengthy breaks encouraged interaction with strangers, friends and colleagues alike. We talked about how easy it is to overlook opportunities like this in our busy lives, but how so important the connection and sense of community is – for our own wellbeing and for the strength of the collective."
